It seems like every National Park in the U.S. is full of them- they’re cute, always hungry and occasionally brave enough to pull a food heist against the humans that visit the park. We’re talking, of course, about squirrels, those bushy tailed little buggers that are so cute you can’t stay mad at them after they try to make off with your ham sandwich.

It turns out squirrels are present in abundance within our National Parks for a very good reason- people love squirrels, and having lots of squirrels around is meant to teach people how to get along with nature while entertaining them with squirrelly antics. Read on to discover how squirrels have become an integral part of parks across the U.S.